After being reborn, the school beauty's entire family knelt down to repent.

"But five thousand yuan is indeed too much. Can we discuss it some more?"

Kong Chunhua gritted her teeth, her voice tinged with anger: "Then tell me, how should this be resolved? My daughter can't even afford school meals anymore, you can't just say you're not going to do anything about it, can you?"

Chen Yitian felt somewhat helpless, but still tried to find a compromise: "How about this, I'll send Zhao Rou some meal tickets first, see if that's enough?"

Kong Chunhua snorted coldly, clearly dissatisfied: "Meal tickets? What problem can that solve? Zhao Rou needs face, dignity, and respect from your family!"

Before he could finish speaking, a voice came from inside the house: "Dad, what are you arguing about?"

Chen Ming came out of the room and saw the scene in the courtyard, his expression calm.

He was wearing a clean school uniform, his hair was neat, and he looked calm.

Upon seeing Chen Ming, Kong Chunhua was instantly enraged. Pointing at Chen Ming, she loudly demanded, "Tell me, why did you publicly reject my daughter at school today?"

Chen Ming smiled faintly, walked down the steps, and came to Kong Chunhua and Zhao Rou. His tone was somewhat mocking: "Aunt Kong, I did do what happened today."

"But you must understand, I, Chen Ming, also have my own dignity. Zhao Rou, she..."

He paused, glanced at Zhao Rou subtly, and said, "She doesn't truly care about me."

Upon hearing this, Kong Chunhua became even angrier: "No sincerity? What do you mean? Why didn't you say this when you were pursuing her? Were you lying?"

Chen Ming remained calm and replied, "Aunt Kong, you've misunderstood. I did like Zhao Rou before, but that was because I was young and ignorant."

“Now that I’m older, I see things more clearly. I can see Zhao Rou’s feelings for me very clearly; she’s only after my family’s money.”

Kong Chunhua was so angry at Chen Ming's words that she almost jumped up, nearly dropping the iron rod in her hand: "What did you say? Zhao Rou is after your family's money? Are you crazy? How could my daughter do such a thing?"

Chen Ming shook his head: "Please calm down, I won't wrong her."

"As you know, I gave her a lot of things before, and she never refused them; on the contrary, she kept asking for them."

"Not only did she not thank me, but she also joined forces with Yu Chuang to deal with me. I've really had enough."

Kong Chunhua's lips twitched a few times: "Are you making up a story? No matter what you say, I'm not leaving until you give me an explanation! Five thousand yuan, are you going to give it to me or not?"

Chen Ming smiled, but his tone was cold: "Aunt Kong, if you think five thousand yuan can solve this matter, then I have a better suggestion."

He paused, looked at Zhao Rou, and then said, "I'll tell you tomorrow that I not only rejected Zhao Rou in public, but also that I touched her all over."

"If she becomes secondhand goods, who would dare to want her? I don't care about my reputation, but do you care about your daughter's innocence?"

Kong Chunhua was startled by Chen Ming's words, and almost dropped the iron rod in her hand.

She couldn't believe her ears, staring at Chen Ming in shock, her voice trembling slightly: "You... what did you say?"

Chen Ming snorted coldly, unwavering: "What I said is true. Your daughter and Yu Chuang have been colluding with each other to bully and scheme against me. I saw through them long ago."

"What happened today was just a lesson I taught them. If you're willing to compromise, I'll offer your daughter some compensation, but not five thousand yuan."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Rou's face turned pale, and her mind was in turmoil.

She lowered her head, not daring to look Chen Ming in the eye.

But he knew in his heart that Chen Ming's words were not unfounded.

She knew that if Chen Ming really said such a thing...

Her reputation in the village would plummet, and even getting married would become a problem.

Kong Chunhua's face turned ashen; she was clearly enraged by Chen Ming's threat.

She said through gritted teeth, "Chen Ming, don't push people too far! What you're doing is not good for anyone!"

Anyone could tell that Kong Chunhua was now in a difficult situation.

Chen Ming remained unmoved and said calmly, "Aunt Kong, I don't want to make a big deal out of this either. But you must understand that I, Chen Ming, am not a lamb to be slaughtered."

"I've given you a way out; if you don't appreciate it, don't blame me."

Kong Chunhua was so angry at Chen Ming's words that she could hardly speak.

But she also knew that Chen Ming wasn't joking.

She turned to look at Zhao Rou and said in a deep voice, "Tell me, what should we do?"

Zhao Rou raised her head, tears glistening in her eyes: "Mom, listen to him. Since he said that, he must have his own plans."

"We shouldn't get too entangled in this now, lest things really escalate."

Kong Chunhua was clearly unwilling, but seeing Zhao Rou's attitude, she knew that her daughter had her own plans.

She took a deep breath and finally nodded slowly: "Okay, then tell me, how do you plan to compensate us?"

Seeing this, Chen Ming softened his tone: "I'm willing to give her five hundred yuan as a thank you for some small favors she did for me before."

Five hundred yuan, although this amount is far less than five thousand yuan.

But in those days, it was still a considerable sum.

Upon hearing the amount, Kong Chunhua's anger subsided slightly, but she still hesitated, saying, "Five hundred yuan? That's indeed a lot, but my daughter's reputation..."

Chen Ming immediately interrupted her: "I've already made myself very clear. If you want more, then I can only say that I will go to the village tomorrow to spread those rumors."

"Zhao Rou's innocence is her lifeline. Do you really want me to do it?"

Kong Chunhua's hesitation became even more obvious. She turned to look at Zhao Rou, her eyes filled with a question.

Zhao Rou was clearly moved by Chen Ming's words and nodded, saying, "Mom, let's listen to him. Five hundred yuan is a lot, I'll be fine."

Kong Chunhua sighed heavily and finally nodded: "Alright, five hundred yuan it is. But you have to remember, this is not over."

"You rejected my daughter in public today; you'll regret it someday."

Seeing that things had finally calmed down, Chen Yitian quickly invited Kong Chunhua and Zhao Rou to sit down.

He brought over some fruit and snacks, trying to ease the atmosphere: "You and Xiaorou have worked hard, have something to eat first."

Seeing Chen Yitian's attitude, Kong Chunhua's face flashed with gratitude, but she quickly concealed it.

She took the fruit and said coldly, "Thank you."

Zhao Rou sat to the side, silently eating fruit, her heart filled with complex emotions.

She must re-examine her relationship with Chen Ming and stop being blinded by self-interest as she had before.